GAWLER’S wayfinders were an interesting experiment, but it’s time to admit defeat.
For much of their life, the screens have either not worked or not functioned at the level that it should have.
Everything from heat damage to missing components and playing information that was months out of date – for a device that was supposed to help tourists find their way around town, it sure made the task difficult.
That’s if you have ever seen anybody actually use the thing.
The screens formed part of Gawler Council’s Smart City strategy that also included the development of the Gawler Connected Community app.
That hardly ever worked either.
It took an external review to confirm as much, and the app was promptly shut down.
The screens, which linked to the app, remained in place though at Walker Pl and the Visitor Information Centre essentially acting as a digital advertising board. It cost $130,000 to install the screens, which were funded by the former Liberal federal government.
That is a very expensive advertising board.
Taxpayer’s money was used to fund a project that has never worked.
While some of you may question why this saga has been such a big deal over the years, it is a prime example of the wasteful spending by Gawler Council.
There is always some sort of justification as to why the wayfinders or the app hasn’t worked. At what point do you admit that council were sold a dud?
And why hasn’t defeat been admitted earlier instead of trying to persist with a project that was pretty much doomed for failure?
The writing should have been on the wall when the app was shut down.
Last week Councillor Cody Davies moved a motion at the April council meeting to investigate the cost of removing the wayfinders.
He told The Bunyip that it was time council cut its losses.
Cr Davies hit the nail on the head when he said: “we cannot get trapped in a sunk-cost fallacy, which is the idea that if something you’ve invested in isn’t working then you need to double down on it”.
It is time council admits that it got this one wrong
